By Mulengera Reporters
The Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) has registered the lowest percentage increase in candidate numbers among the three national examination levels for 2025, according to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
While the overall number of candidates registered for this year’s national exams rose by 6.9 percent, bringing the total to 1,416,307 from 1,319,139 in 2024, PLE saw a modest 2.51 percent increase.
A total of 817,998 pupils registered for PLE, up from 797,444 last year, making it the slowest-growing level in terms of candidate numbers despite still accounting for the largest share of the total candidature.
In contrast, the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) recorded the highest growth rate at 14.69 percent.
UACE attracted 166,464 candidates, compared to 141,996 in 2024.
The Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) followed with a 12.07 percent increase, reaching 431,856 candidates up from 379,699 the previous year.
Gender distribution at the PLE level shows a continuing trend of female dominance, with 428,398 girls registered compared to 389,589 boys.
This trend is also seen at the UCE level, which registered 227,867 female candidates and 203,980 males.
UACE, however, had more male candidates (93,603) than females (72,861).
UNEB spokesperson Jennifer Kalule Musamba confirmed the final figures and announced the closure of the registration exercise on July 31, 2025.
She reminded all schools to display candidate registers in accessible areas on their premises at least six days before the start of the examinations to facilitate verification by learners and their parents.
UNEB will announce the specific dates for this verification period in the coming days, and schools are expected to fully comply to ensure accuracy in the candidates’ data and registration details.
